With history dating back to 1734, Champagne Taittinger is the third oldest House in the region. When Pierre Taittinger purchased Forest-Fourneaux in 1932, the label was officially born and a century of incredible growth saw Taittinger become one of the biggest producers and one of the last big independent, family-owned Houses. This changed briefly after a takeover in the early 2000s, however the House was bought back into the family in 2008 by Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger. Today, the brand has been successfully refreshed with entrepreneurial spirit and is firmly under family control: Pierre-Emmanuel remains President, son Cloivs is Export Director and daughter Vitalie is Marketing Director.

The proud owners of 288-hectares of vineyards in the best localities, Taittinger self-supply half of their grape needs. The hallmark of the Taittinger style is the high percentage of Chardonnay, providing the characteristic elegance, delicacy and freshness for which their champagnes are so well-known. The pride of the House is the pure-Chardonnay prestige cuvée Comtes de Champagne, a pioneering blanc de blancs that ranks amongst the finest of all prestige cuvées. In late 2015, Tatittinger announced that they had started sparkling wine production in Southern England.

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne is a prestige cuvée blanc de blancs made entirely from Chardonnay grapes sourced from the best vines in the prestigious Côte des Blancs region. It is only produced when the harvest is of exceptional quality worthy of a vintage year. Winemaking methods involve strictly using just the first press juice and ageing 5% of the wines for four months in new oak barrels - a third of which are renewed every year - to enhance the intrinsic qualities and complexities of the final blend. Presented in 18th century antique style bottles, this hand-crafted champagne is aged eighteen metres underground in the UNESCO status Saint-Nicaise cellars in Reims for a minimum of eight years before being released.

Loïc Dupont, head winemaker at Taittinger commented: "I think the recently released 2006 vintage is possibly the closest stylistic comparison to emerge since the 2002."

Weather: The 2006 vintage was a year of mixed weather. It began with a rainy spell and late spring, but with little or no frost in the vineyards. Early summer was positive, with the months of June and July creating perfect conditions for flowering. Although there were some storms in late-July, the overall health of the vines was great since the weather remained hot through to the harvest with spells of rain in August promoting even healthier grapes.

Tasting Note: Light and refreshing, this is at once intriguing on the nose with mature notes of ripe fruit and raisin. Well-balanced on the palate with incredible complexity, the dosage of 9 g/l is evident in the full-bodied yet sweet richness. This is an exceptionally pure expression of Chardonnay that is delicious now but promises exciting development over the coming years. One of the best Comtes we've ever tasted!

“100% grand cru Chardonnay. Disgorged 2013.
Sort of electric energy on the slightly muted, introvert nose. Obviously lots more development to come. Subtle, hint of damp plaster – in a nice way! Lots of acidity and tightness. Not yet unfurled. Light note of sweetness on the end but overall dancing rather than dense. Neat and pleasing. But overall still very tight.
Drink 2019-2030”

Jancis Robinson MW,

JancisRobinson.com,

Sep 2017

17.5/20

“Magnum. Disgorged 2013.
More depth on the palate than the 2005. And it tastes drier and firmer. Very long.
Drink 2019-2032”

Essi Avellan MW,

EssiAvellan.com,

Jan 2017

+

94-97/100

“Stylishly restrained, pure nose of coffee, smoke, milled chalk and peaches. There is an under-control reduced character waiting to express itself as toasty opulence. Subtly textured, seamless, perky palate with electric vivacity. Richer palate than what was promised by the slightly reserved nose. Fresh, light-weight and salivating. 93 points already upon launch.”

Decanter,

Decanter.com,

Jan 2017

+

90/100

“Aromas of baked apples and notes toasted hazelnuts on the nose. This is a rounded a supple style of Blanc de blancs with gentle fruit flavours and a crisp, elegant finish.”

Jancis Robinson MW,

JancisRobinson.com,

Jul 2016

+

17+/20

“Gnomic back label! The word Comtes is now privileged on the front label. Very pale greenish straw. Quite rich and yeasty on the nose. Tight bead and quite sweet on the front palate. Solid and flattering but far from intellectual. Exuberant. Clean. Gentler in texture than the 1996. 12.5%”

Alison Napjus,

WineSpectator.com,

Oct 2015

+

95/100

“A lovely Champagne, offering a rich and expressive palate of dried strawberry and white peach fruit, with toasted hazelnut, pastry, candied ginger and lemon curd flavors set in a fine and elegant frame. Long and creamy on the satiny finish. Drink now through 2031.”

James Suckling,

JamesSuckling.com,

Jul 2015

+

94/100

“Very fresh expression of pure chardonnay finished with Taittinger's signature toasty layer of autolysis, caramelized grilled nuts, brulée and a wealth of bright, fresh, pure lemon cirrus fruits. The palate has a superfine thread of acidity buried under peach and nectarine fruits. Long, even, focused and powerful, it finishes long and fine.”

Antonio Galloni,

VinousMedia.com,

Jul 2015

+

97+/100

“The 2006 Comtes de Champagne is striking, especially in the way it brings together elements of ripeness and freshness in a hypothetical blend of the 2002 and 2004. Smooth and creamy on the palate, the 2006 is all about texture. There is a real feeling of density and weight in the 2006, qualities I expect to see grow with time in the bottle. All the elements fall into place effortlessly. The 2006 has been nothing short of magnificent both times I have tasted it. Comtes de Champagne remains the single best value (in relative terms) in tête de cuvée Champagne. I suggest buying a case and following it over the next 20-30 years, which is exactly what I intend to do. There is little doubt the 2006 Comtes de Champagne is a magical Champagne in the making.”

Andrew Jefford,

Decanter.com,

Mar 2016

+

94/100

“Pale summer-gold in colour, with sweet, cream-puff scents which seem to float like tissue paper carried on a breeze. Foam-textured and fine-grained on the palate with rounded, soft acidity (more lemon cream than lemon juice) and a sappy, planty freshness too. The graceful, fine-brushed finish almost suggests seeds and gentle spice. Almost all steel-schooled, of course – yet that seasoning pinch of new oak perhaps accounts for some of the insinuating charm here. ”

Jancis Robinson MW,

JancisRobinson.com,

Nov 2013

+

19/20

“Disgorged April 2013 for this tasting. Very lively bead indeed. Very sumptuous nose seems eerily close to fine white Côte d'Or burgundy. Still tight and very glamorous. Really classy and explosive. Hugely promising. There is delicacy and charm here.”

Bought directly from Hatch Mansfield, the UK agent for Taittinger. This is currently held in bond at Vinotheque in Burton-On-Trent, where it is cellared in ideal conditions and for same day deliveries small quantities are held in our London offices in a top of the range Eurocave

Gift Wrapping & Cards - choose these at checkout.

Gift Wrapping: Make your champagne gift even more luxurious with pearlised wrapping paper - select a colour at checkout for £4.95 per bottle.

Taittinger History

This Champagne House was originally established by Jacques Fourneaux under his own name in 1743, making it the third oldest Champagne House in existence. Jacques came from a family of important vineyard owners and was succeeded by his son Jerome who was the advisor to the young widowed Nicole-Barbe Clicquot. Jerome blended all the Veuve Clicquot wines between 1805 and 1810.

There is little to say about the formative years which were uneventful compared to the great success of the post-war period. Purchased in 1932 by Pierre Taittinger, he went about changing the name to Taittinger Mailly & Cie and started purchasing a great number of vineyards whilst the economy was depressed and land was going cheap.

Pierre had spent much time in the Champagne region when serving in the First World War as a young cavalry officer. Stationed at the Château de la Marquetterie, he fell in love with this remarkable property whose name came from the history of cultivating alternating plots of black and white grapes and the Château was one of his most revered purchases. Taittinger’s home is situated above miles of chalk tunnels and fourth century Roman cellars once belonging to the Benedictine monks of the Abbey of St Nicaise and are perfect for the slow ageing process required for great champagnes.

Owning some 288 hectares of vineyards in the best localities of Champagne makes Taittinger the second largest domaine owner in the region. The most famous of these are the vineyards surrounding Château de la Marquetterie and parcels in the prestigious Côte des Blancs. These ensure a regular supply of approximately 50% of Taittinger’s annual needs, significantly more than other well-known Champagne houses. The remaining 50% are purchased from carefully selected growers, some of whose links go back four generations. As quality is of paramount importance, Taittinger only use grapes from the finest vineyards in Champagne and impressively rank in the top two major Champagne houses in terms of self-sufficient supply.

The hallmark of Champagne Taittinger is the high percentage of Chardonnay used in their winemaking which can be anything from 40% in the Brut Réserve to 100% in the prestige cuvée Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs. This Chardonnay dominance provides a style of elegance, delicacy and finesse which is recognised worldwide and has earned the house many accolades and awards over the years.

All of the Chardonnay grapes used in Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs originate from the 100% rated Grand Cru vineyards of Avize, Chouilly, Cramant, Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger and Oger in the Côte des Blancs. Vineyard procurement is the role of Managing Director, Damien Le Sueur, the vineyards are then managed under the watchful eye of Vincent Collard and the champagnes are made by long-standing Taittinger Chef de Cave, Loïc Dupont.

Today, the Reims-based House is headed by Pierre’s son, Pierre-Emmanual Taittinger. His son Clovis and daughter Vitalie are also both actively involved in the day-to-day running of this thriving family-run Champagne house.